Book Review : Economics of Ego Surplus

Title : The Economics of Ego Surplus

Author : Paul McDonnold

Publisher : Starving Analyst Press

ISBN : 978-0-9829038-0-3

I received the review copy of this book a month back but the only reason I kept postponing picking this book up to read was the uninviting title page of the book which looked very drab and dreary. But once I started reading it, I felt too bad for the book as the cover page does not convey even the smallest fraction of the power packed story that is between the covers. And the title of the book does not help either. The information, the plot, the suspense, the climax and the narrative are full of excitement and adventure with no dull moment.

The story of a college instructor Kyle Linwood is an entertaining concoction of an action story, a thriller and also a guide to important facts and trends in economics. Kyle is all geared up to spend a relaxing summer with his girlfriend, but very unexpectedly he gets an offer from the FBI to work with them in solving a case of internet terrorism targeting the US financial backbone. Soon enough the panic tremors start jolting the whole nation and Kyle works on the case diligently which leads him to UAE. This whole exercise raises many questions about his own fundamentals in life and how everything fits like puzzle pieces. It is an interesting read how Kyle in association with FBI tries to foil the aggressive attempts of economic terrorists. Divulging anything more about the story would be giving away too much. The character portrayal of Kyle is very believable, not giving an impression of some super hero taking upon the terrorists all by himself.

There are quite a few economic concepts which are explained in an extremely simpler way which make them easily understandable, for instance the role of governments in salvaging the melting down economy and many other macro-economic concepts here and there. This book can be an interesting supplement for students who are taking up courses in economy.

The short and succinct chapters are very neatly written with appropriate subtitles. No attempt of stretching the narrative unnecessarily. I am sure this book will make many readers happy as it has the capability to quench the literary thirst of many.

Its prequel, 5 Pillars, 7 Sins is now available as a Free eBook in several formats. You can check it out here